Automatic fluid-controlling device



Jan. 15, 1929. 1,699,143

R. J. HIL;

AUTOMATIC FLUID CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed Aug. ll, 1927 figa/4- H. lf/i ZZ f f 9% .f/'f

f .l i a l /f lumineux Plantea im. 15, 1929.

t UNITED STATES RUSSELL J. HILL, or GBEELEY, COLORADO.

l.AIII'TOMA'LIC FLUID-COMBOLLHG DEVICE.

Application led August 11, 1827. Serial No. 212,338.

This invention relates to moisture controlling devices, and particularly. 1

of this character in which the scharge of moisture may be controlled thermostati cally or by hand. y

The general object of the present invention is to provide an electro-magnetically -operatedv'valve which4 includes an electromagnet energized or de-energized by the rise or fall of a mercury column or by the movement of some other thermostatically controlled device.

A further object is to .provide a device of this character which may be adjusted so as to permit the almost constant discharge of steam lor other iiuid through a nozzle or cause a constant intermission in the discharge at short intervals.

A still further vobject is to provide a. device of this character in which the valve may be used to control the passage of Huid through a multi-way conduit, operating to permit the passage through one conduit when the electro-magnet is energized and the valve mo-vesto one seat and through the other conduit when the electromagnet is (le-energized and the valve shifts to another seat.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawing, Awherein Figure 1 is a dia rammatic view partly in section of my iiui controlling device;

Figure 2- is a view showing the ends 1n elevation of different sized jet nozzles for the discharge pipe;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the application of my control mechanism to 'one form of incubator;

Figure 4 is a like view to Figure 2 but showing theA application of my luid controlling means to another form of incubator; y

Figure 5 is a side elevation partly broken away of a modified form of my controlling valve:

ln the drawing, it iwill be seen that I 'have illustrated my invention diagrammatically, and referring to the drawing des- Y ignates a metallic pipe of any desired cross sectional area. This metallic pipe is formed in two sections l0 and 10?, 'l0 being the inlet section which is joined hy a coupling l1, this coupling being screw-threaded at its ends so as to engage corresponding screwto devices threads on the ends of the sedti'ons 10 and 10. This coupling is suciently larger than the section so as to form a valve cham ber 12 between the inner ends of the pipe sections and the inner ends of these pipe sections are formed to provide seat-s 13. Disposed within the casing constituted by the coupling 11 and the inner ends of the pipe sections 10 and 10a is a metallic ball -valve 14. The extremity. of the pipe 10 is engaged by a plug or nozzle 15 having a central opening 16 through which a jet of steam is designed to be discharged by the pipe 10.

Surrounding the pipe section 10 is a coil 17 which, as will hereinafter be described,

constitutes the coil gf an electro-magnet, of`

which 10 is the core. Disposed in any convenient position -is a thermometer or equivalentinstrument 18. This is shown as a wet bulb thermometer, the extremity of which is surrounded 'by a tubular silk Wick 19 which is reversible and has oney end immersed in water.

Di the lower end of the thermometer is a con- Ytact member 20 which engages with the mercury and which is ,connected by a wire 21 to any source of electric current, as the secondary coil 22 of a 110volt transformer, the primary coil of this transformer being designated 23. A conductor 24 leads from Ythis transformer to the coil 17. Disposed 'by a wire 26 to the wire 27s which/leads from the coil 17.

It will beobvious now that when the mercury in the thermometer is at a relatively low point, thatis below in the arrangement of contacts illustrated in the drawing, no current will pass through the coils 17 as sposed in any desired position adjacent the circuit will be broken. When, however,

the current rises to the 60 contact, assuming that this is connected to the Wire 27 as.v for instance, through the binding post 28, a circuit will be closed through the coil 17 and the electromagnet formed by these coils 17 and the core l0 will be energized which will attract the ball 14 trom the seat upon which it normally rests to the seat 13 so as pipe. 1() and into the space between'the two ends of the pipe 10, this space being defined by the periphery of the coupling 11,. Any one of the contacts 25`may be connected by the wire 26 to the binding post Q8 and thus in the circuit whichl includes'the .electrof magnet and the secondary ot the inductioncoil. .The circuit which includes the secondary coil and the electro-magnet is preterably an 8volt low tension circuit. The primary coil 23 will be connected preferably in a 110-volt circuit so that the voltage will be stepped down by this transformer from 110 volts to 8 volts. The nozzles or plugs 15 may be changed so that the hole 16 may be either l in diameter, 1/8 or 1/4 as desired, and obviously plugs with other diameters of openings may be used.

The silk wick 19 is kept wet by immersing one endin water in a smallenecked vglass bottle located near-the wet bulb-thermometer; Reversing theI wick and filling the bottle with water are the only operations involved. Steam under slight pressure will continue to pass through the valve into any given space until sutlicient moisture-acumulates in that space to reduce the evaporation on the wet bulb wick 19 and hence the rise of the mercury in the column of the wet bulb thermometer. The base contact 2O and' the one or more contacts 25 are located in such a way that at any given point or teinperature the rise of the mercury column will close the electric circuit, which in turn causes the electro-magnetic opening or closing o the ball check valve 14.

While in Figure 1, I show the ball check valve 14 as performing no functionewhen it is nnseated except, of course, to permit the passage of steam or other fluid through the pipe sections 10 and 10a, yet it will be understood that there may be a pipe extending from the coupling 11 or the equivalent thereof which will be closed by the ball 14 when the'ball falls by gravit lon the deenergizing of the magnet. us a double action may besecured inthe operation of thisvalve which will perform a very advantageous function in controllingheat in, for instance, Buckeye or like incubatore rvhere a retort or pressure cooker with a float check valve containing the Water readily furnishes steamrr as in the Smith man1- moth incubator where a regular boiler furnishes steam. Such correlation of my electro-magnetic ball check valve with these two devices is shown in Figures 3. and 4, it being understood, however, that the mechanism to which the ball check valve is applied is shown diagrammatically and merely tor the purpose of illustrating the application of the ball check valve to these situations.

Referring now to Figure 3, A designates the incubating chamber of a Buckeye incubator. This chamber has in it thethermostat a. The source of hot water is designated B and a pipe C leads Jfrom the source of hot water into the upper portion of the incubating chamber A. A return pipe D leads from the lower portion of the incubating chamber A into the lower portion of the hot water tank or other source l) and this return tlow pipe is connected to the pipe C by a pipe E. Disposed immediately above this Apipe E is the ball check valve 14 which is adapted to close against the seat e torined at the upper end of the pipe E at its 'junction with the pipe C. Surrounding that portion of the pi e Cin advance ot the branch E is the coil 17, the pipe c constituting the core of the electro-magnet andthis pipe c at its junction with the pipe E being formed with a seat 13. The coil 17 may be connected to any suitable source of current or current may he induced therein by an induction coil or steph-down transformer 22 and 23, as previously described.

Thecircuit through the wires 29 which connect the coil17 to the source of current is broken at the single or double contact switch, illustrated diagramatically in Figure 3 and designated 30. This switch is operated by the thermostat a, this thermostat being connected to one side of the circuit which includes the magnetic coil, and the switch blade 31 being adapted to be shifted to the contact 32 when the temperature rises. The ball valve 14 in Figure 3 is located in place of the valve used in the Buckeye heater f to check the intake of hot`water to the radiator room and the energizing of the coil 17 acts to shift the valve 14 against theseat 13, thus cutting od the iovv of hot water to the incubator but permitting the flow of hot water from the pipe C into thev heater B and permits the ilow ot hot Water' into the incubator or to the incubator coils of radiators and thus speeds up the How of hot water to the radiator room. lBy controlling the energizing and de-energizingof the coil 17 by means of a very sensitive electro-thermostatic switch such as is shown diagrammatically in Figure 3,'a ver great improvement and simplification' of t e controlling means for incubators of this character is secured.

In Figure 4 is shown the applicationof m invention toa Smith mammoth incu ator. Here the pipe -F leadsirom` a boiler to the radiator coils G disposed within CII pipe leading therefrom at an angle thereto,v

there being an approximately vertical valve seat formed in the first named pipe and an approximately horizontal valve seat in the second named pipe at the junctionof the two pipes, a ball valve normally resting' against the second named seatl and urged thereto by gravity, and electro-magnetic means assooiatedvvith the first named pipe for causing the ball valve to shift from the second named seatvto the irst named seat upon the closing of an electromagnetic circuit, the breaking of the circuit through said electromagnetic means permitting the ball Valve to drop by gravity onto the second named seat.

2. The combination with an incubator, a fluid heater and a pipe leading from the fluid heater into the interior orf the incubator, a branch pipe extending Jfrom the rst named pipe at an angle thereto, a valve casing disposed at the junction of the branch pipe 25 with the first named pipe, the first named 1 pipe having al seat'disposed in said casing,

and the vbranch pipe having a seat-'disposed in the casing, a metallic ball valve normally resting against the vsecond named seat and urged thereto by gravity, and electromag netic means including a coil surrounding the first named pipe outward of the seat therein, the coil when energized causing the ball valve to shift from the second named seat to theirst named seat upon the closing of an electromagnetic circuit to the coil, thereby opening passage through the branch pipe and closingpassage through the iirst named pipe, the breaking of theV circuit through said coil permitting the ball valve to drop by gravity onto the second named seat to close the passage through one of said pipes and open passage to the rst named pipe, the incubator having. thermostatically controlled means forl cI sing or opening said circuit; i

In testimony whereof I hereunto .aliix my signature.

RUSSELL J. HILL. 

